1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an ergonomic seat assembly for supporting a human body in correct posture to maintain proper and healthy spine alignment.
2. Description of Prior Art
Cushioned ergonomic seat assemblies are desirable for increasing the comfort-level of the user and at the same time preventing ligament, joint and hip problems. Normal sitting is more often than not in an improper, unhealthy posture which may result in back pain and other physical ailments and infirmities. Too often a human person in a seated position is not properly supported resulting in the toeing out and splaying of the legs which causes the hips to rotate outwardly. The unhealthy positioning of the legs and hips in the user could result in ligament weakness, plastic deformation of joint tissue and lead to chronic occurrence of conditions such as hip bursitis and accelerated degeneration. In addition to the unhealthy positioning of the user's legs and hips, the spine is improperly aligned because of the tendency of the user to slump or slouch with the spine generally unnaturally straight when the spine should be naturally curved. The slumping or slouching of the user causes lower back pain because of the loss of the natural and healthy lumbar curve.
A number of attempts have been tried for preventing the problems resulting from unhealthy posture of persons when sitting. Certain of the attempts have been directed to the posture problems of wheelchair users and particularly paraplegics. U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,446 is directed to a wheelchair back system concerned with the problems associated with long term wheelchair users, such problems including kyphosis, scoliosis, instability, redness of the spine, and pain of the back. The system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,446 did not consider the tendency of a person sitting to misalign hips, pelvis and spine, by the unhealthy toeing out and splaying of the sitter's legs. There was no suggestion in U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,446 that toeing out and splaying of the legs was a problem in need of correction. Also, the back system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,446 was geared specifically to use with wheelchairs, and was somewhat complicated in structure and not readily adaptable for ordinary use by a sitting person.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,325 is directed to a cushion for relieving pressure on the tailbone (coccyx) and on the ischeal turberosities (seat bone) for promoting proper positioning of the sacroiliac joint and for supporting the lower back of the user. No structure was suggested for avoiding splaying of the legs of the user or for preventing lateral translation of the user's torso
U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,790 is directed to a customized seat cushion for correcting the posture of a wheelchair user. There is no disclosure or suggestion in U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,790 of structure to emplace a user's spine in a normalized, healthy lumbar lordosis, or to secure the user's torso against lateral translation, which are needed for proper, healthy spine alignment.
Other support cushions have been suggested but are not constructed for providing proper, healthy posture for a user when sitting. U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,533 of Toni Solano is directed to a cushion for providing added support and comfort to the user (Col. 1, lines 49-50) and “ . . . should the user be disabled the cushion can be used to conveniently transport him with minimum discomfort (Col. 1, liner 51-53); and to provide . . . an improved means for comfortably transporting individuals who are confined to beds and wheelchairs” (Col. 1, lines 57-58). There is no indication or suggestion throughout Solano that his cushion provides structure for supporting a seated human body in correct position to maintain proper and healthy spine, hip, and pelvis alignment or preventing toeing out and splaying of a user's legs.
Various other seat structures have been attempted with the focus on providing proper back support or on seat comfort without recognizing the need for simultaneous support and alignment of the spine, hips, and pelvis of the sitting person. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,542,421 and 3,279,849 are directed to back supports only while U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,436 is for seat cushion only for use with a wheelchair. None of these patents disclosed or suggested seat structures for complete, proper, and healthy hip, pelvis, and spine alignment and support.
The present invention overcomes the problems inherent in the existing known structures of seat and back support cushions and systems, by providing an ergonomic seat assembly for supporting the human body in proper and healthy spine, hip, and pelvic alignment. The complete structure of the seat assembly of this invention prevents the toeing out or splaying of the legs of the user while simultaneously securing the torso of the user against lateral translation, and normalizes proper curvature of the lumbar lordosis. Proper alignment of the user's hips, pelvis, and spine is secured and maintained, thereby avoiding the pain, ligament weakness, deformation of joint tissue, hip bursitis, and accelerated degeneration, all of which are common problems resulting from improper, unhealthy overall sitting posture. The positive healthy results achieved by this invention are by an ergonomic seat assembly which is simple in construction, adjustable to fit most sitting users, portable, capable of relatively low cost manufacture, and affordable to the consumer.